Pumped storage hydropower operation for supporting clean energy systems

Grid-scale energy storage is increasingly important as variable renewable energy is integrated into power systems. Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) provides the largest form of energy storage in power grids, with 179 GW installed globally as of 2023. In this Review, we discuss PSH operation in power system support. There are different modes of PSH operation, including open-loop versus closed-loop systems, and binary, ternary and quaternary systems. Hybrid systems that combine PSH with hydropower or battery storage are also being developed. PSH can balance electrical demand through dispatch, frequency and voltage regulation, and other ancillary services essential to the system, with different timescales for each service. PSH could also provide long-duration energy storage and water management services such as water storage and flood control. However, there are still challenges to its deployment and operation related to power regulation quality, economics and environmental impacts. The main operational modes and management practices vary between electricity markets, but governments are working towards assessing the value of PSH energy storage to promote PSH development. Although PSH can prevent curtailment and support grid decarbonization, there are environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions from operations and reservoirs and potential ecological impacts. Forms of PSH that are seawater-based, small-scale or based at former mining sites could potentially mitigate some of these impacts and enable PSH development in areas where it is not currently practical.

YANG Weijia;  ZHAO Zhigao;  PEREZ-DIAZ Juan Ignacio;  HUNT Julian;  VAGNONI Elena;  NOLAND Jonas Kristiansen;  QUARANTA Emanuele;  WANG Ran;  LI Xudong;  CHENG Yongguang; 

2025-07-15

Nature

JRC139170

https://doi.org/10.1038/s44359-025-00057-x,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC139170,   

10.1038/s44359-025-00057-x (online),